


Worth It

by feainn (Espanglish)



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: He's got a bad case of the gay, Lmao poor Scott, M/M, Pls help this boi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 06:05:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10155725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Espanglish/pseuds/feainn
Summary: Scott wasn't expecting his workout to turn out the way it did, but he wasn't complaining.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Jaal has took over my life and he's took over Scott's too tbh
> 
> Also, I can't write fight scenes lel

The continuous pounding of fists against sturdy leather began to make Scott's knuckles ache. He could feel the soreness already setting in and bet there were bruises starting to form across the abused skin. Clearly he didn't wrap them good enough. _Well done, Scott._

A flurry of jabs against the leather followed by one last, hard hit made Scott grunt against the force and his knuckles sting but he felt satisfied enough. He sighed as he watched the punching bag swing wildly for a few moments until it slowed to a stop. One hand on his hip, Scott pulled the hem of his tank to wipe across his sweaty face. Gross. He startled when he heard the swoosh of the doors open behind him and turned to see who entered the gym.

Scott watched as Jaal's eyes scoped around the room until his gaze landed on him. The angara nodded in greeting at him and made his way over, Scott's eyes never leaving him as he sauntered towards him. Jaal stopped only a few feet away from Scott but it was enough for him to feel Jaal's body heat radiating off of him... _shit..._

"Jaal, hey-" Scott stopped and swallowed, trying to get rid of the sudden dryness in his throat, "can I do something for you?" _Please say yes, I'd literally do anything._

The angara was a good few inches taller than Scott himself, making him crane his head up slightly. There was a slight quirk to his lips, a beginnings of what looked like a smile while he stared intently at him. It made Scott swallow again. Being this close to the angara was bad for his health and he was sure SAM was having a field day the way his heart started to thump in his chest.

"Ryder, I apologise, I did not realise you were in here." he said, his eyes still never leaving him.

"Oh, it's alright. I was just finishing up here anyway," Scott replied as casually as he could. "Give me a moment and it's all yours."

Jaal remained silent as Scott moved around him to grab his water bottle and ignored him as took deep, long gulps from it. _Don't look._  He looked.... fuck!

Crystalline blue eyes flickered as Jaal watched Scott carefully until he turned bodily towards him. Watched as Scott quickly looked away to finish his drink. Still watched as Scott had to wipe away the water that had dribbled down his chin after he put his bottle down.

Scott busied himself by unwrapping his hands, wincing as his bruised and tender knuckles were exposed to the cool air of the gym. It was a good job Sara wasn't here else she would've clipped him around the ear for being a dolt and lecturing him on how to wrap properly next time. While his thoughts strayed he didn't hear Jaal settle beside him and almost jumped out of his skin when he felt Jaal take hold of one of his hands gingerly- _fuck, his hands are so big, fuck!_ \- between his own to inspect the bleeding, bruised skin.

"You are injured?" He posed it as a question though he could clearly see the damaged skin. Scott flicked his eyes up to look at Jaal. He could see flashes and alien language flicker across the screen of Jaal's visor in rapid succession, Jaal's eyes blinking a few times down at his hand.

"Oh... no, not really. Guess I got carried away on the punching bag." Scott chuckled, though it ended up high pitched towards the end. _Krogan's balls, what're you Scott, a teenage girl?_

Jaal nodded once though he didn't seem satisfied enough with Scott's answer but let go of his hand, letting his own fall to his sides. "I see. You should get it looked at by Dr. T'Perro, before any infection can set in."

Scott felt himself melt at Jaal's genuine concern, butterflies going wild in his stomach. _Yeah, definitely a teenage girl._

Before he could reply, Jaal, with his face expressionless and mouth set in a straight, thin line, stated in the most neutral tone Scott has heard him use yet, "Seeing as you humans are, according to your krogan, "squishy" and are easily damaged, hence why you always need medical attention. Even in situations such as this."

Silence filled the room save the hum of the core that ran throughout the ship. Scott could feel his mouth hanging open, probably catching metaphorical flies but couldn't help but be shocked by Jaal's bluntness. He wasn't offended in the least just... taken aback. He blinked a few times in wonder until he saw Jaal's lips twitch, trying to hide his amusement but failing.

Scott snorted when he realised that Jaal had just _joked_ , his chuckle turning into that hideous cackle that grated on his dad's nerves and made Sara always shake her head in bemusement. The joke wasn't even particularly funny but more so because _Jaal_ , sweet, curious but serious Jaal, had told a funny and it tickled him. He could feel his heart squeeze in what he probably assumed was fondness and something else that was far too early to name.

"Oh really?" Scott replied, tone light, "We may be squishy, pal, but this guy right here, he's pretty good in a fight and can take on whatever's thrown at him." He smirked as he pointed to himself.

A low rumble of laughter escaped Jaal. It was rich and velvety, making heat spread through Scott in a pleasant way.  _You're so gone, dude._

"So I have seen, though I would to like to try putting that to the test, if I may?" The angara asked politely but Scott could see the eagerness in his eyes. Scott may not always be the most observant but he wasn't stupid. If Jaal wanted this then fuck yeah, Scott was going to give it to him, even though his head said this was a bad idea, but his heart was too busy partying to its own bass at the mere thought of spending more time with this beautiful alien who Scott felt himself being drawn all the more closer to every day.

"Sure, man. Let's do it, I'm up for it." Scott beamed as he felt excitement well inside him.

"But Ryder, your hands-"

"Nah, it's fine. I've had worse. C'mon, show me what you got, big guy." Scott patted Jaal on the arm, trying desperately not to squeeze the hard muscle and moved to the middle of the sparring mat. In a moment of madness, if Scott could call it anything, he pulled his sweat-soaked tank over his head, throwing it somewhere to his left out of reach. He bounced on the balls of his feet, shaking his arms out to loosen any tense muscles as he waited for Jaal.

The angara was still in the same place Scott left him but after a moment or two, he moved to remove his visor, placing it on the table Scott's water bottle was on. Then, to Scott's very pleasant surprise, Jaal began to unclip his under-armour. Removing the outer layer first before taking off the thinner material underneath. Scott swallowed and blatantly ignored Sara's inner voice cackling at him and his misfortune. Well, wrong, it certainly wasn't misfortune but Scott was sure he was about to die as hard muscle and sinew came into view. Scott loved the under-armour Jaal wore around the ship but he wasn't going to lie to himself because this was _so much better._

Jaal joined him on the mat, mirroring him now with his torso bare and getting into a fighting stance. Scott watched as the muscles pulled and tensed, noticing a dusting of purple markings- _freckles!_ \- scattered over the top half of his torso then again over his stomach. Yeah. Scott was definitely going to die but travelling here in cryo for 600 years then for Scott to perish from self-combustion didn't seem such a bad way to go. The last thing he would see before his early demise is a half naked Jaal, so really, he's alright with that.

Before his thoughts could go further, Jaal smirked at him, his eyes dilating slightly making Scott's stomach coil. "I look forward to seeing you prove me wrong."

Scott smirked, lunging forward to right-hook Jaal in the face though he was blocked easily, Jaal knocking away his fist like swatting away a fly. Scott continued like that for a few minutes; initiating the punches but being knocked away each time as Jaal stayed in a defensive stance. He could feel himself tiring already seeing as he went at it pretty hard in his earlier workout but he liked sparring with Jaal. It felt good. Natural.

Sweated beaded on his brow and he could feel his hair sticking to his forehead but he kept on going despite his knuckles screaming in protest each time he did manage to connect with Jaal's skin. He pushed himself as he began to throw a few side kicks into Jaal's sides and thighs.

Then, in an instant, the angara moved his stance into a more aggressive one, pulling his right arm back then forward to sock Scott straight into his left shoulder. Scott stumbled back from the force of the punch and feeling his shoulder ache from the impact but it was a good ache. He smirked and jabbed forward, catching Jaal in the arm then leapt back as Jaal counterattacked but missed.

They continued like this for some time but Scott could feel himself getting sloppy. Jaal looked tired too but nowhere near as Scott. He felt flushed from the adrenaline and heat of the room and his muscles felt sore and bruised but there was a part of him that didn't want to back down. He wanted to prove he wasn't _squishy_ but who was he kidding, he just wanted to look at Jaal some more. In another attempt to knock Jaal off balance, Scott raised his leg to land a blow to Jaal's flank, connecting it hard into his side. He felt a wave of triumph wash over him which was quickly replaced by confusion and, because Scott is a pathetic mess of hormones when it comes to Jaal, _lust_ , when he felt Jaal wrap his arm around the leg still digging into his side. He locked it in place, which _realllllly_ wasn't good, then pulled Scott forward so they're pressed against each other, chest to chest.

Time seemed to hate Scott because, before he knew it, Jaal had wrapped an ankle around his (the one that currently wasn't being held prisoner in a big, beefy arm) and his foot was taken out from under him. A waft of air escaped him as his back hit the mat then a grunt followed as Jaal's weight collided with his. All air left him as Jaal crushed him against the rubbery surface. This is not how he expected to have Jaal on top of him but he wasn't truly complaining. Just his back was.

Jaal was breathing hard above him, his thick muscular arm still pinning Scott's leg against his side. His other arm was on the mat next to Scott's head, almost caging him against his body and the floor. Now, Scott wasn't a religious man but he was praying that he didn't pop a boner right there and then. He was pretty sure all blood had left his head and was travelling south. _Perfect._

They breathed in sync, gazing into each other's eyes. Scott could feel his face flush darkly at Jaal's blown pupils, his irises a thin ring of blue around them as his eyes roamed Scott's face. His chest felt hard against Scott's own, the sinewy muscle that protruded from his chest dug uncomfortably into his skin but it felt _really fucking good_. The angara's skin was cooler than Scott imagined, though after their spar he could feel a slight warmth to it.

Their breaths mixed in the close proximity and Scott desperately tried to quell the arousal he was feeling seeing as their crotches were almost touching. He wasn't sure how angaran anatomy worked or if Jaal even knew what a boner was but Scott was already embarrassed enough, he'd rather not frighten Jaal off just because Scott was pining and dying.

A few beats of silence passed then Jaal pushed himself up, letting go of Scott's leg. He sat back on his haunches and that tiny quirk of his lips was back.

"Maybe not so squishy after all," he leaned down again so he and Scott were chest to chest again, then literally _purred_ , "I enjoyed our time together, Ryder. Perhaps when you are not so tired next time you can show me what you are really made of."

Pushing himself up and off Scott, Jaal left him splayed on the mat, breathing hard and thoughts in disarray. Slowly, Scott turned his head to watch him collect his armour, pulling the undershirt on before leaving. The doors shut with a click and now Jaal was gone, Scott's eyes left the door and focused on his crotch instead. Yeah. Boner.

His head thumped against the mat but a smile broke out across his face as his heart worked double time.

_Yeah. Worth it._


End file.
